As a retired teacher of seven years (I know that's not very many), I can appreciate the experience of "Teacher in Service" days. For those of you who aren't familiar with this term, In Service Days allow the teachers to come to school while the students get a day off.  If there is one thing I learned as a teacher, it is this.... teachers make the worst students. I always regressed into a 15 year-old passing notes to my friend during the meetings.

(Incidentally, I was one of those horribly mean teachers who would read the note aloud to if I caught it in class while I was teaching.)

Now, as a parent of a school-age child, I find myself missing those wonderful "Teacher In-Service" days. I wonder "how the heck does his teacher keep him busy, all day? You can always tell if there has been a day off for my son by my hairdo. If he's home, I have very little, and what I have left is sticking straight out.

Luckily, I have found many great games to play with my son, since he's too old for the 'ol "Let's see who can tidy up the room faster" game. One that we have fallen in love with is a card game called "Take the Train". It teaches strategy, and it's just plain fun. So, next time your cutiepie has the day off, take a look at this game. It's good, clean fun! Amazon has it for $3.99, and that's a great deal for hours of fun.